Blog of Pastor Richard D. Dover

Blog of Pastor Richard D. Dover

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Pastor Richard D. Dover

This is the blog of Pastor Richard D. Dover. Pastor Richard is committed to sharing the Gospel with the lost, equipping the saints, and being the watchman on the wall for the Church and America. Read More

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Racism in America-Part Nine
Solution Six-Police and Racism, The Solution

Like all the other articles we have written on this topic we must first acknowledge that there is racism in America. There are police officers that are racist. Police officers are human beings and as long as their are human beings there will be some forms of racism. There are White officers that are racist toward minorities. There are Black officers that are racist against Whites. There are Black officers that show a prejudice against Blacks. These are all facts that cannot be denied. So are there any solutons? Yes. This article is not going to go in-depth in regards to the problem and the solutions, that would take a book. We will just address some aspects of this issue and some solutions. We are going to address this topic in the realm of the current events of racism by police in regards to Blacks, acknowledging racism has no color limitations.

Police Departments
Police Departments throughout America need to address the issue of racism, profiling, learning how to relate to various cultures, being proactive in doing what they can to reduce the stigmatism of racism. Police departments need to do a better job of screening out individuals who are racist and applying for jobs. Police departments need to do a better job of confronting and disciplining officers that are obvious racist.

Police Departments in America need to not cover-up obvious actions by police officers that were obviously racist in nature. They need to be more transparent. Government agencies should confront police departments that obviously have racist problems in their department.

Police Departments in America need to start reflecting the community they represent. It makes absolutely no sense for a 90% White police force in a 90% Black neighborhood.
Police officers must have more positive interaction within communities.

Obeying the Law/Respect the Uniform, Badge, Gun
It is understood that in some communities in America a person is seen as a suspect just because of the color of their skin. This is wrong, should not happen, but certainly does happen in certain areas.

Saying this, the truth is that in America overall if a person obeys the law they are less likely to be in trouble with police. Even if a person is confronted by police for no reason they have a choice how they react to this situation.

Because a police officer may be unjust, unfair, racist, does not mean a person should resist arrest. This applies to any person regardless of race. If you resist arrest, you may be harmed. Whether the officer is racist or not, whether the officer is in the wrong or not.

If a police officer feels threatened, if you threaten a police officer, or you run from a police officer, you are liable to be harmed. That is on you. That has nothing to do with racism. If the officer is racist it will only escalate the problem. If the officer is not racist and you do the above it only escalates the problem.

Willfully Disobeying the Law
When Blacks willfully break the law, commit arsons, damage property, riot, attack the police, they are not helping to prevent racism. They are feeding racism. All they do is feed the concept that Blacks are criminals. It is a time to face facts. Whites and other races have been unfairly treated by the police, killed by police, but none of them have done what has been happening recently by Blacks. NONE! To say one is tired of what they have experienced by police and then break the law and attack the police in no way builds race relations. It in no way will stop unfair actions by police. Besides the fact that most of the victims of arson, rioting, etc is Blacks, not Whites or police.

An image of a body laying on the ground dead because of a police shooting is horrific. However, for most people they realize the scene does not tell you any facts of the situation other than a person is dead. Does not tell you if they were killed justifiably or unjustifiably. It does not tell you if the police officer was racist or not.

An image of Blacks destroying a police vehicle tells you that they are willfully breaking the law. There is no justification for such action and it gives the wrong message.

Black Culture and Hatred Towards Authority
Many Blacks certainly have reason to hate authority. They have been victims of authority. BUT, the promoting and encouraging Blacks to hate authority does not help the cause to fight against police brutality.

A culture that has songs that promotes hatred towards authority, specifically towards police, that promotes being in a gang, raping of women, etc. is wrong. Blacks must speak out against this culture. All this does is feed behavior that will encourage blacks being in contact with police in a negative manner. It breeds the potential of someone finding themselves dead.
Parents should be raising their children to respect those in authority instead of hating those in authority. Hate breeds hate.

Race Baiters
There are individuals that make a living being race baiters. Their motives are insincere. They breed hate instead of love. They make blanket statements not based upon facts. They jump into situations before there has even been an investigation and make accusations. Their goal is to divide instead of unite. Blacks need to stop supporting and promoting these individuals. They do more harm than good. They build walls instead of building bridges.

Innocent Until Proven Guilty
There is a hypocrisy that is floating among some Blacks. It is the hypocrisy of wanting to be seen and treated as innocent until proven guilty but not wanting the same for police officers. There is too quick of a judgment by some Blacks that when there is ever a police shooting that it must be because of racism. That it must be unjust.
Because Blacks may be unjustly profiled by some police officers will never justify profiling all police officers in regards to police shootings.

Trials and justice needs to stop ‘being issued’ in the streets and media.

Police Officers are Human Beings
Too many times there is the expectation that police officers should not have emotions, should be perfect in their judgments, should make perfect decisions in every situation. That is a good goal but it is not realistic. They are people, not robots. Yes, they have training.But many situations they deal with are spur of the moment situations and they can only make decisions based upon what they know at the moment. If a person is running from the uniform, badge, and gun, they have shown none of those things cause them to be under submission. When they suddenly turn and pull something out fo their pocket, the police must based upon the situation assume that person has no respect for them and may be trying to kill them. That is a realsitic expectation. At that moment that police officer don’t care what color of skin the person is. What they care about is their own personal safetly like any other human being.

If officers make poor judgments or wrong judgments there are times for disicipline or correction and it should be issued. There are consequences. Just like there are consequences for others making poor judgments. When officers make intentional decisions based upon race alone, they should be held accountable to te fullest extent. BUT bad decisions don’t automatially mean police officers are racist. That agains is something that race baiters try to get people to think is happening all the time.

Bottom Line
Police need to do a better job of policing their own officers. Cities need to do a better job of making sure their department is more diversified, representative of the community. Officers that show prejudice, racism, and violate the code of conduct for police officers should be punished to the full extent of the law.

Scenes of Blacks throwing rocks and other items at police, Blacks destroying police vehicles, the looting and arson of businesses owned by Blacks, words of hate, will not stop any real police racism and brutality. It certainly does not stop perceived police racism and brutality.

Blacks claiming police racism and brutality when the evidence points otherwise does not stop police racism and brutality. The danger is it can feed racism instead.
All the above does is feed a disrespect for Blacks. Sadly people will start to see all Blacks this way, just as police officers who are racist and brutal feed the idea that all police are that way. It is up to both groups to manifest behavior that shows the opposite.

In our next article we will let Dr. Ben Carson address this issue since he is Black and much more qualified to address the issue of racism. Go to article.

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About Richard D. Dover

Richard D. Dover is the Senior Pastor of Seattle Open Door Church in Burien, WA , Executive Director of Fairhaven House, the TV Host of There is Hope TV, the founder of There is Hope Radio and founder of Christian Addiction Intervention.
Richard D. Dover does not write these posts as a representative of any of the organizations but as an individual. Thus, the listed organizations may agree or disagree with these writings.
Any posts/articles may me copied and used by others if it is copied in full and acknowledges Richard D. Dover is the author.
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